Mizzou’s Drinkwitz makes statement with 2021 recruiting class landing in-state players
Missouri Tigers football coach Eliah Drinkwitz and his staff faced a hurdle of obstacles building their 2021 recruiting class. There were the NCAA sanctions that barred Drinkwitz from contacting recruits for a week at a time. There was no in-person recruiting once the pandemic hit.
Despite that, MU welcomed its 2021 class Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Drinkwitz, in his first year at Columbia, has excelled on the recruiting trail. The Tigers are ranked 20th nationally by Rivals; 247Sports has them 26th.
That’s a stark difference in past years, where Mizzou’s ranking hovered closer to the 40s than the 20s.
Enter Drinkwitz, who vowed from Day 1 he was going to recruit the state of Missouri as hard he could. He followed up on that promise, picking up premier talent from around the state, especially in St. Louis.
“For as long as I’m the head coach here at Mizzou, we have got to build a wall around the state of Missouri,” Drinkwitz said Wednesday. “That starts with building relationships with the high school coaches. I think we’ve started establishing our roots there.”
Drinkwitz said of the 22 prospects, the Tigers signed who they considered to be eight in-state products. Noticeably, Kansas City appeared to be missing on the list. Drinkwitz said that wasn’t for the lack of trying, but “quite honestly, we just missed.” MU was in the running for some KC-area recruits, but guys like Tobechi Okoli (Auburn) chose to go elsewhere.
The Tigers are already getting a head start in KC for their 2022 recruiting class. Their first commitment of that class is tight end Max Whisner, a Lee’s Summit product.
But Drinkwitz wasn’t looking too far into the future, instead celebrating the pieces that comprised what is his first full recruiting class. MU’s 2020 class had Drinkwitz’s fingerprints on it, but most of the players committed to former MU coach Barry Odom. Drinkwitz made a mad rush retaining recruits last December because he was hired just days before the early signing period then.
“Feel like we did exactly what we set out to do,” Drinkwitz said. “Can’t wait to get these young men on campus, with several of them enrolling early. Get starting to build the program to where we want it to be.”
Drinkwitz said they prioritized two positions: defensive line and defensive back. MU got seven defensive linemen to pledge to its program; five defensive backs committed. Drinkwitz said their roster had gotten a little “out of whack” in terms of numbers, which is why there was heavy emphasis on those areas.
Drinkwitz said they expect certain senior defensive linemen to return, which helps along the trenches. He didn’t want to “steal their thunder,” but said those returners were part of the numbers.
The NCAA granted a blanket waiver for fall athletes that effectively froze their eligibility. That allows seniors to play an encore 2021 season. Luckily, that didn’t affect this recruiting cycle, Drinkwitz said, because those returning seniors won’t count against the 85-scholarship maximum.
That leaves Mizzou with a few scholarships to fill for its 2021 recruiting class. Drinkwitz said they could add another offensive lineman as they essentially took three this cycle: Connor Tollison, EJ Ndoma-Ogar (Oklahoma transfer) and Zeke Powell (junior college transfer). Powell played this fall, but because he was a late add, Drinkwitz said Powell folds into this year’s numbers.
MU’s recruiting base started in St. Louis then expanded from there. The Tigers’ first commitment, defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, was a significant recruiter himself throughout the process, joined by fellow De Smet product, running back Taj Butts. Other in-state players — Tollison and tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp — also committed early.
That branched out to other local products, including Travion Ford, the Tigers’ highest-ranked recruit. The East St. Louis duo of quarterback Tyler Macon and wide receiver Dominic Lovett created momentum — especially when Lovett flipped from Arizona State to Mizzou last week.
The local connection wasn’t just because of proximity. Mizzou was able to host those recruits for Junior Day before the pandemic hit. Guys like Wingo, Lovett and others got to see Columbia up close and meet the new coaching staff.
“When we look back here in several years,” Drinkwitz said, “I think we’re going to realize that that weekend had a huge impact on the future of Mizzou football.
MU was also able to pluck from other states, including Florida and Texas. Drinkwitz praised linebackers coach DJ Smith, who went into Indianapolis and got defensive back Daylan Carnell and defensive lineman Kyran Montgomery, both significant parts of the class. Drinkwitz also landed Colorado defensive lineman Arden Walker, who chose the Tigers on Wednesday over Colorado and UCLA.
Drinkwitz pointed to the rankings, adding he saw MU only had four four-star recruits over the 2017-20 recruiting classes. Depending on which recruiting service you look at, the Tigers had five four-star recruits this cycle alone. That was just a snapshot of the impressive first full recruiting class Drinkwitz put together.
“I will say I don’t get a ton caught up in the rankings and all that stuff,” Drinkwitz said. “I think you gotta find the right fit. But it’s good to be recognized and have a benchmark of what we’re trying to create.
I don’t know if it makes any kind of statement to the rest of the SEC, but I know it makes a statement to our state, our fans that this staff is going to push recruiting.”